Serpent Bearer
by tammy1310
Summary: "My lord," she bowed low, being as respectful and polite as possible. "I have asked to speak to you, for I have heard that you are looking for a heir." She spoke quickly, her words seemingly tumbling over themselves.
1. Chapter 1

A young woman was nervously pacing the floorboards. A few mere centimetres away from her stood a large, bronze door – taunting her, for on the other side of the door was… Her master. Her unruly black hair swung around madly, bouncing up and down with every step she took. Her breathing came in quick pants and her onyx eyes darted around the dimly lit corridor, ready to defend not only herself but her master if need be.

The door handle turned and her eyes widened dramatically, in both fear and anxiety. A man in a billowing black cloak stepped out of the room, nodded in her direction in a show of camaraderie before apparating away with an audible 'pop.'

Without a moment's hesitation, she walked straight into the room, making sure to pull her face into a blank mask, hiding the ball of emotions within her.

The first thing she noticed as she stepped into the room was the dark curtain that seemed to blanket the entire room, engulfing the room in darkness. The only light source came from a flickering green flame, held above a handsome marble mantel place.

Her master stood in front of the fire, casting a long eerie shadow towards her. In that moment, he looked as if he was ready to conquer the world – and in many ways he was. His back and shadow alone, set her heart into a frenzy – the fear and unconditional devotion she felt for her master would overshadow her every decision, her master always on the forefront of her mind.

"My lord," she bowed low, being as respectful and polite as possible. "I have asked to speak to you, for I have heard that you are looking for a heir." She spoke quickly, her words seemingly tumbling over themselves.

Her master turned lazily around, to meet his loyal follower. He had dark slick hair and icy blue eyes. A gulp became stuck in her throat as she looked into the eyes of the dark lord

"Ah, Bellatrix. Yes, you have heard correctly, but what do you wish to ask me? You really think I would let you become the heir? The Death Eaters may fear you, but you lack the necessary control." He sneered with his velvety voice.

Bellatrix quickly shook her head, hair flying around freely, bowing her head softly to hide the flush of her cheeks.

"No, no, of course not my lord. I could never be a great leader like you, my lord. But please, my lord. I have recently given birth to a child. And I beg, please my lord." She began muttering the last sentence over and over again, whilst pulling out a black bundle out of mid-air and letting her gaze drop to the floor once more.

Voldemort stood in front of the fallen girl and the sleeping infant. "Bellatrix. Tell me… Is this child a male or female, and is this child a pureblood?"

Bellatrix, looked up in happiness, "The child is a female and of course, the child is pureblood, unlike my filth sister and her half-blood spawn - I would never commit such a crime. My children will only be purebloods, my lord."

Voldemort, quickly began to think it through - his mind deliberating on the child. He slowly nodded. "So be it, my loyal servant, give me the child."

Bellatrix stood up, her knees weak. She could not believe that her child would soon become the Dark Lord's heir! She felt wet drops fall onto her cheek and only then did she realise she was crying tears of joy. It felt like a dream - the dark lord had accepted her child, out of all the children he could have chosen he had chosen _her child._

She passed him the infant, smiling and whispering a row of gratitude.

Voldemort took the small child and unwrapped the blankets to reveal a baby girl, sleeping softly, oblivious to what was happening around her.

Wisps of black curly hair on top of her head left no doubt on whom the mother of the child was. She did, however have some traits which obviously came from her father like Rodolphus' lack of fear and his sense of calmness in the face of danger.

He pointed his wand and the baby and spoke quietly, murmuring an ancient enchantment.

Bellatrix stared wide-eyed as the dark lord's wand began emitting dark green wisps of smoke. It engulfed the baby, awakening her from her slumber and the small infant soon began to cry out. Neither the dark lord nor the child's mother made any move to comfort the child nor would they coddle the baby as the infant continued to wail as they were both too engrossed in the dark tattoo that was beginning to form on the infant's arm.

A dark green snake was etched onto the skin of the girl's left arm, similar to the mark her mother bared on her own left arm. Bellatrix stood in wonder while Voldemort merely observed the child, waiting impatiently for the child to open her eyes.

The baby's eyes opened to reveal crystal icy blue eyes.

~•~

Meanwhile, a woman, far away, fell to the floor. Her body convulsed as she struggled to control the inevitable - her eyes were unfocused, unseeing, as they rolled back into her head. Her voice became raspy as she whispered softly into the dead of night – whispering of the future, with no one to bear witness.

_A child born under a blood moon_

_With the purest blood shall hold the key._

_Beware the cage that hides the key, for deep within,_

_Hoards a dark place unknown to many._

_The serpent bearer's choice alone holds the power_

_To engulf the world in flames, or guide it to safety..._

_~•~_

_Heyo! It's me! This is the Harry Potter fanfiction i promised to post ages ago! sorry :( Anyway, beware for darker themes later on. Hope you enjoy reading it! Please tell me what you think! if you do, you get a free cookie! yay :D Thanks to DramaQueen1917 for being the awesome beta of this story. Thanks _

_T x_


	2. Chapter 2

OMG I am sooooo sorry! :'( I am a terrible person and don't deserve the love you give me! This is very over due and I hate myself for delaying it! Thanks for all the amazing people who favourited, followed and reviewed, love you guys so much!

Quote of the day: Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain. But you can't make a rainbow, without a little rain!

~•~

Chilling, The cool breeze of the night air was masked with the screaming cries of an echoing battle. Death eaters protected the grand manor with there lives, while the majestic Auroras shot spell after spell on the house's wavering defences. Coloured sparks lit up the dark sky, like fireworks. Exploding in great cracks of light and sound. Like a celebration, only a more brutal one, a more lethal one.

The manor itself was menacingly beautiful in the flashes of red and green; lighting up the black brick walls. Inside, what was once a grand house, lay in ruins. Plaster and brick trickled down, as the injured yelled from where they had fallen. The dark green interior gave no mistake on the heritage of the master and his mistress.

Hiding inside of a child's nursery stood the lady of the house and a lowly maid. The mistress seemed anxious, noted the maid, as the dark haired woman paced the floor angrily, banishing her wand, and muttering curses under her breath. Occasional, her eyes darted to the nursery door. She was desperate to join the battle, but had more pressing matters to deal with.

Finally, the lady barked out an order to the maid. Breaking her master's order to finish the battle. "The child will be find with Gracie," she muttered to herself.

"Take the child and get her out off her! Understand me! Get her out of her alive! She is an vital part of the plan! I'll meet you later, just move now!" With a final shriek, she fled the room, to defend her lifelong home. Her blood thirst ache was only quenched when she was in control, in power, in battle.

The maid quickly began rumbling through the draws. Packing anything she could lay her hands on. She hastily wrapped up the infant in a bundle of dark sheets, whispering quietly to her as she began to cry. Throwing one final glance around the room and picking up one last possession, the maid and the infant slipped out into the night. through the cracks of the manor. Just in time to see the manor fall and the battle lost...

Meanwhile, Penny wrapped her dressing gown tighter around her and moved closer to the roaring fire. Around her lay the young children of the orphanage, to scared to sleep without the comfort of her presence. She signed as she stroked the fringe off of the little girl, who curled up next to her like a cat.

Penny, loved working here, she found it inspiring and just loved the joys of the children who were so happy despite some having a terrible start to life. However happy they might be during the day, the night always brought a new horror, a new nightmare, a memory relived. And so would often come and find her when it grew to much. Outside, the sky was black and ominous and so she had stayed with them for the night.

The storm was one of the worst she had ever seen. Large pellets of rain smashed against the old windows, desperate trying to get inside. Thunder echoed through the orphanage while the eerie flashes of thunder lit up the night sky. Wind roared outside and the groaning of the large oak tree in the back, was enough to scare even the oldest of the martons. It was like the sky was punishing the earth for its latest crime, as the freaky storms were appearing more often and had soon become normal. However it was never this bad.

But, suddenly it stopped just like that. Like someone had flicked a light switch, the terrifying storm... Stopped. Penny looked around in surprise, heaving herself off of the sofa. A thin wail broke out as the porch light flickered on. Outside of the tiny orphanage steps was a baby girl, wrapped in emerald and black blankets, with a note wrapped inside and a basket of belongings to the child.

It was of course not unusually, many children appeared at the door for no reasons. Mothers incapable to care for there offspring, too poor or unstable or just caring enough. But this case did scare her. Maybe it was the sudden silence of the storm, or the thought of the poor child left alone out in the cold. The young marton shivered. As another cry broke out, the woman's heart melted and she bent down to reassure the poor lamb.

Picking up the baby, she was surprised to see fall out, a necklace. Golden with a scatter of tiny emeralds that shone in the dim light of the porch lamp. Engraved on the top was a letter S, in beautiful italics. Penny picked it up, confused for a minute as her finger tips gentle brushed the top. Suddenly an overwhelming feeling to put on the necklace snaked through her body, as her fingertips tingled from the cold metal. She began to slip the chain around her neck, eyes staring down, enchanted at the necklace, when a chorus of screams and cries of her name echoed throughout the orphanage.

Shaking her head, the young marton placed the necklace into the basket along with the baby's possession and headed into the house, excited to present the newest child, a new face, a new life.

As the years went by, it became glaringly obvious that the child was anything but ordinary. Penny, still working religiously at the neglected orphanage, tried to come up with any reasonable explanation for the girl's odd behaviour - as she felt personally responsible for anything that the little girl did.

You would only need to scratch upon the surface to uncover a long, winded history of problems in relation to the girl.

When she was merely four years old, an older girl snatched away her favourite doll demanding she shared. However the girl merely frowned at the older girl; and immediately the older girl, Chloe, hair was caught in a magnificent purple fire, causing her to scream and cry before running out of the room, dropping the doll in her haste. Or the day the girl sang in her school play - her voice, slow and mournful like a funerals last song. There was an uproar amongst the audience, as reptiles came from the vast corners of the city, desperate to be near the source of such a sound. Or the most recent, having been a week ago, on a hot summer's day when she froze the garden's violets and roses from blooming, encasing them in wintry ice sculptures.

Even a mere glance at the girl caused shivers to run up one's spine. Her dark hair – as black as a raven's wing – often ran wild, unable to be tamed. Her eyes, easily the most haunting and frightening part of her, held wisdom and knowledge beyond her years. As blue and as cold as winter white glaciers – Very few dared to meet her gaze.

She kept mostly to herself, indoors and completely devoted to her books, Everyday she would absorb more and more knowledge. More words. More facts. More, more, more. She absorbed any information given to her like a sponge, never forgetting anything from her precious books.

She would often ignore the other children, as though they were beneath her or perhaps it was due to their nasty words and hasty judgements. The children of Merrythrough orphanage were well aware of the strange happenings that followed the girl's every step and they were unafraid to voice their opinions whenever her back was turned.

"What a freak," They would whisper in between their lessons. The most daring would throw sticks and stones at her, risking retribution. But mainly they ignored her, pretended she didn't exist. Avoid her on the sunny days she left her room and make her feel unwanted.

Unloved.

Penny's little heart broke with every day that passed, as she watched helpless as every taunt the children whispered caused cracks to form in the girl's poor heart and every stick they threw, only strengthen the wall that surrounded her heart – protecting it from further damage.

Perhaps if it were only the children, the damage would not have been so terrible. But even the staff were frightened of her. They half-heartedly tried to stop the bullying. One matron even suggested that a good ol' smack around her chops would knock the creepy out of her. But no one ever tried to prove her comment right.

Penny grew more and more upset over the child. Like a mother protecting her offspring from the names and wiping away the hidden tears. However one day, something mysterious and magical happened...

And this is where our story begins...


End file.
